Reduce Food Waste

40% of food in the United States goes uneaten.

A lot of that waste happens in our own homes. We throw away leftovers or forget about food in the back of the fridge. That wasted food has big impacts on our environment, our community, and our wallets. But there’s good news! You can make a difference by making small changes at home. Love your food, don’t waste it.

What you can do

You can reduce your food waste at home in lots of ways. Try our tips to help you waste less food(pdf) to see what works for you. Click below for tools and information.

Why wasting food matters

When we waste food, we also waste all the money and resources it takes to get food from the farm to our homes. That waste hurts our climate and the health of our communities.

Wasting Food...

Wastes Money We throw away $160 billion worth of food a year in the U.S. By reducing food waste, a family of four could save as much as $1500 a year!

Wastes Water We waste more than 20% of all the freshwater used in the U.S. to grow food that is never eaten. When we waste water on food we don’t eat, we’re taking it from communities that really need it.

Wastes Land If all the wasted food in the world was grown on one farm, that farm would be larger than Canada. The increased demand for food we don’t even eat leads to more clearing of rain forests and grasslands, increasing climate change and hurting our ecosystems.

Wastes Energy We use about 5% of all U.S. energy to grow food that is wasted. Wasting energy is a waste of our limited resources, and it also adds to pollution and climate change.

Contributes to Climate Change Wasted food is responsible for more than 8% of greenhouse gas emissions in the world. If wasted food were its own country, it would cause more greenhouse gas emissions than any other country except for China and the U.S.

Causes Water Pollution In the U.S., agriculture is the main source of pollution in rivers and streams, and one of the top three sources of pollution in lakes, reservoirs, ponds, and wetlands. When we waste food, we’re making water unhealthy for people and wildlife.

Increases Food Prices 1 in 8 households in the U.S. don’t have enough to eat. We increase the demand for food when we buy more than we need, causing food prices to go up. Low-income families are the hardest hit by rising food prices.

City-Wide Information

Top Requests

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is comprised of three major direct-service providing utilities: the Water Utility, the Drainage and Wastewater Utility, and the Solid Waste Utility. The Water Utility provides more than 1.3 million customers in King County with a reliable water supply; the Drainage and Wastewater Utility collects and disposes of sewage and storm water; and the Solid Waste Utility collects and disposes of recycling, yard waste, and residential and commercial garbage. All three utilities strive to operate in a cost-effective, innovative and environmentally responsible manner. SPU also houses the Engineering Services line of business, which serves both City departments and outside agencies, providing efficient, customer-oriented engineering services that assist clients with replacing, improving, and expanding facilities with the least possible disruption to the community.